Merton Gray
}}| |border-bottom:solid 1px #ccd2d9;}}" | Merton Gray |- align="center" colspan="4" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:solid 1px #ccd2d9; border-bottom:solid 1px #ccd2d9;" - |- colspan="1" Born colspan="3" 27 January 271AP North Lake Tabitha, Nomar, Eastern Zartania - |- colspan="1" Achievements colspan="3" 299AP Crown Cup Champion 300AP Crown Cup Champion 314AP Crown Cup Champion 317AP Crown Cup Champion 299AP Royal Zartanian 500 winner - |- colspan="1" Racing Series colspan="3" RZOEAZ - |- colspan="1" Car no., team colspan="3" No. 18 (Black Star Racing Syndicate) - |- colspan="1" 317AP Pts Pos colspan="3" 1st of 110 - |- colspan="1" Best Pts Finish colspan="3" 1st (299AP, 300AP, 314AP, 317AP) - |- colspan="1" Last Race colspan="3" 317AP Mountain Peak 400 - |- colspan="1" First Win colspan="3" 299AP Royal Zartanian 500 - |- colspan="1" Last Win colspan="3" 317AP Eybalcan 400 Classic - |- colspan="1" Starts colspan="3" 284 - |- colspan="1" Wins colspan="3" 21 - |- colspan="1" Top-5s colspan="3" 46 - |- colspan="1" Top-10s colspan="3" 82 - |- colspan="1" Poles colspan="3" 35 - |- |} Merton Gray (born 27 January 271AP) is an Eastern Zartanian race car driver in the RZOEAZ. He currently drives the No. 18 Hawke Bitter/Guwimith Credit Saqlain for Black Star Racing Syndicate. He resides in North Lake Tabitha, Nomar, Eastern Zartania. He is married to his wife, Danae, and they have two children: Teisl and Morrison. Gray was professional stock car racing's first superstar, winning both the inaugural Royal Zartanian 500 in 299AP as well as back-to-back Crown Cup Championships in 299AP and 300AP, and a record-setting third championship in 314AP. He is also a first cousin to original Whiland Dragons head coach, John Gray. Early Life Merton Gray was born in North Lake Tabitha, Nomar, to parents Daavid Gray and Maude Sandersun. He is the oldest of three siblings, including younger brother Calvin and sister Madeline. North Lake Tabitha was, at that time, a residential town that housed the ethnic Zartanian laborers and their families that worked in the posh Terramarcian resort, Tabitha. Daavid Gray was employed as a woodworker and carpenter by the Tabitha resort management board, and Maude worked as a housemaid in one of the upscale hotels in the area. Merton attended primary school in his hometown until age 12. Under the Terramarcian education system, he entered secondary school at age 13. Failing the required aptitude test at age 15 that would have permitted him to continue secondary schooling in preparation for tertiary school, or university, Merton was expelled from secondary school and forced to enter the workforce. Daavid managed to use his few connections with the resort management board to secure a job for Merton working in the local mechanic shop. There young Merton began to learn the automotive trade that would eventually lead to his entry into the RZOEAZ. While working in the mechanic shop, Merton quickly learned the trade and caught the eye of Whitlamite businessman S. Armstrong during the latter's visits to Tabitha. Disenchanted with Eastern Zartania's lot under the Republic of Terramarc, Gray began building cars in his spare time in the late 280s and early 290s AP, and he began participating in illegal street racing. Developing a name for himself as an aggressive and almost reckless street racer in his black and red-clad cars, Gray supplemented his meager legal income with not insignificant racing bounties. The end came in 298AP, however, when Gray was involved in an multicar crash during a nighttime street race. The crash left five of his competitors dead, and Gray severely injured and under arrest by Terramarc authorities. It was at that moment that S. Armstrong re-entered Gray's life, securing his release from jail and ensuring the young man received proper medical care. RZOEAZ Career With the fall of Terramarc and the reemergence of an independent Eastern Zartania and Whiland came the creation of the RZOEAZ in 299AP. Greatly impressed with his young Zartanian protégé, S. Armstrong teamed with Zartanian associate R. Young to create the RZOEAZ race team Black Star Racing Syndicate, headquartered in Gough, Whiland. The team immediately approached Gray, however, the driver had already committed to drive for Eastern Zartania-based Joe Gibbson Racing. The BSRS ownership then approached JGR, successfully purchasing the No. 18 team in mid-season. With little convincing, Gray agreed to continue driving the team's only car in the remainder of the inaugural season of the professional stock car racing league. 299AP Season The inaugural season of the RZOEAZ was a veritable fairytale for Gray. He started his career by winning the season-opening and first annual Royal Zartanian 500 in Imperial City, before a sell-out crowd that included HRM King Bruno II and the rest of the Zartanian Royal Family. Gray drove Black Star Racing Syndicate's No. 18 Parmiyon, which was sponsored in the first half of the season by Brass Instruments and Plarizh Gifts before picking up major Whilandian backer Hawke Bitter NA for the remainder of the season. At the midway point of the season, Gray also announced that his No. 18 car had been purchased away from original team owner Joe Gibbson Racing by an unknown ownership group, later revealed to be Black Star Racing Syndicate. The season ended in November with Gray taking the inaugural Crown Cup driver championship. It was the first of his two back-to-back championships. 300AP Season Gray's second season in the RZOEAZ started off much the same as the first season had ended, though now with a teammate. During the off-season, Black Star Racing Syndicate had acquired a second car, the No. 97. 316AP Season Eastern Zartanian veteran and RZOEAZ superstar Merton Gray's quest for his fourth career championship is alive and well after his win in the KSZ Wireless Subaria 500 race in October. Gray won Sunday's race at Claw Anchorage Speedway, jumping himself to third place in the driver points standings in the Chase for the Crown Cup. A mere 14 points behind leader Korinna Forquer, Gray has plenty of opportunity to catch and pass her over the final three races of the season. Career Stats Category:RZOEAZ Category:Sports Category:Motor Racing Category:Zartania Category:People